HVM Racing
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HVM Racing is an auto racing team owned by Keith Wiggins that is competing in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. It competed in the Champ Car World Series in 2007 as Minardi Team USA when it was bought by Paul Stoddart in December 2006[1] and prior to that has had a long history of changes of ownership. Its previous incarnation was as CTE-HVM Racing co-owned by actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer.
Its 2007 driver lineup was Dan Clarke and ex-Formula One driver Robert Doornbos, who previously raced for Minardi F1.
In the first race of the season, the 2007 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Robert Doornbos made the most successful debut since Nigel Mansell in 1993, finishing second on the podium.
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[edit] History
The team has had a long history of names, first as Bettenhausen Motorsports under the leadership of Tony Bettenhausen Jr. The cars were primarily dark blue, white and red with Alumax Aluminum sponsorship and ran several drivers of note, Stefan Johansson, Helio Castroneves and Patrick Carpentier among them. It was a difficult 1999 season as the team ran three drivers and Shigeaki Hattori had his competitor's license revoked by chief steward Wally Dallenbach, Sr. before the race at Laguna Seca.
Tragically, before the 2000 season started, Bettenhausen, his wife and two business associates were killed in a plane crash en route to spring training in Homestead, Florida. The team was renamed Herdez Competition as Michel Jourdain Jr. came aboard with Wiggins taking over as co-owner and managing director. Two uncompetitive seasons followed and Mario Dominguez was brought into the team in 2002. A fortunate victory came at Surfer's Paradise in a water-logged event, as Dominguez started last and failed to pass a single car on track but benefited from pit strategy.
The win boosted his confidence and the team recorded a 1-2 result at Miami, Dominguez leading Roberto Moreno, was the highlight of a much-improved 2003 season, finishing fifth in the championship. Ryan Hunter-Reay came into the team in 2004 and led all 250 laps atThe Milwaukee Mile from the pole position. Herdez sponsorship faded at the end of the year and for 2005, with the team now called HVM Inc., Wiggins was forced to take on pay-drivers Björn Wirdheim and Ronnie Bremer. Both of their funds dried up before the end of the season and several other drivers had chances in the team's two cars.
Cedric the Entertainer became a co-owner late in the season and added a celebrity presence to the field. The cars that year ran a distinctive gunmetal gray livery with Cedric's A Bird and A Bear entertainment company on the sidepods. Nelson Philippe won in Australia and the team recorded their best season with a fourth place in the championship by Phillipe.
The team recorded 5 wins,2 pole positions and 11 podiums.
In 2006, Paul Stoddart, former owner of the Minardi Formula One team, bought an interest in the team and re-christened it Minardi Team USA. For the 2007 season Stoddart and Wiggins lined up the services of Dan Clarke and Red Bull F1 Racing test driver Robert Doornbos. With Doornbos the team began competing for podium positions regularly. The team scored its first win under the Minardi Team USA banner at the 2007 Champ Car Grand Prix de Mont Tremblant.
Doornbos went on to capture another win at San Jose, and his tally for 2007 is 2 wins and 6 podiums.
Dan Clarke had a season plagued with bad luck, but had a bright spot when he finished 2nd at Road America.
Doornbos went on to finish 3rd in Championship standings, earn Rookie of the Year, and was the highest finishing Rookie in the Champ Car World Series since Juan Pablo Montoya in 1999. Doornbos also won the award for Hard Charger, improving the most positions during the race.
In 2008, following American open wheel unification, the team will move to the IRL IndyCar Series. The team will also participate in the Long Beach Grand Prix with three more cars under the Minardi Team USA name.[2]
[edit] List of Drivers for Bettenhausen/Herdez/HVM/CTE-HVM/Minardi Team USA
Gary Bettenhausen (1982-1983, 1996)
Ronnie Bremer (2005)
Patrick Carpentier (1997)
Helio Castroneves (1998)
Dan Clarke (2006-2007)
Fabrizio del Monte (2005)
Mario Dominguez (2002-2004, 2007)
Robert Doornbos (2007)- Roberto Gonzalez (2003)
Shigeaki Hattori (1999)- Ryan Hunter-Reay (2004)
Stefan Johansson (1992-1996)- Michel Jourdain, Jr. (2000-2001)
- Rodolfo Lavin (2005)
- Roberto Moreno (2003, 2008)
Nelson Philippe (2006, 2008)- Homero Richards (2005)
- Gualter Salles (1999)
- Alex Sperafico (2005)
Ernesto Viso (2008)- Björn Wirdheim (2005)
[edit] References
- ^ BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Minardi team to race in Champ Car
- ^ Wiggins' HVM Racing to enter series, IndyCar.com, March 12, 2008
[edit] External links
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